Soul Eater Evans What's inside me?
by Eden of the East
Summary: As Soul comes face to face with madness can he endure pain and confussion in order to protect and preserve peace?
1. Boy with the scarWhy are we so distant?

**Inside Maka and Soul's Apartment**

Soul was lazing around in the living room slouching on the larger of the apartments two cushy orange couches. He propped his feet up on the coffee table after turning on some jazz; he promptly started shaking his foot in rhythm with the music like a metronome. He was enjoying the peace of not having anyone around to bother him. It was a comfortable Saturday afternoon in Death City and both of the girls he lived with had decided to go out for the day; Blair was gone to strut around the city in search of free food and men and Maka was spending her day at the library like a typical bookworm. Soul was appreciative to have some alone time where he could just listen to music, eat, and do absolutely nothing without worrying about Maka coming and breathing down his neck.

A while back Soul and Maka had gone on a mission to Italy to find an evil human soul and after they had found and defeated it Maka had detected another unusual soul nearby. The soul was inside a church and assuming it was another meister and weapon the two of them investigated. That was a mistake. Inside they encountered The Demon Sword Master ,Corona, whose weapon ,Ragnarok, resides permanently inside of his…her…its blood. The pair put up as good of a fight as possible against the strange meister but ultimately the two were cornered as they attempted to flee. They were overpowered because of Corona's ability to use black blood; an artificially made black blood cell which gave Corona the upper hand during the battle since Corona's blood hardened to defend against all of Maka's attacks and Ragnarok was able to injure Soul even in his weapon form. The situation was looking bleak and Maka feared for Soul's safety but he told her he was willing to die for her, and refuses to back down. He lived up to his word as he shielded Maka with his own body causing him to receive a blow to his chest in order to protect her. Soul had only retained enough consciences afterward to urge his meister to try and escape when Professor Stein and Maka's father Spirit appeared. From what Maka had told him the adults had defeated Corona and Ragnork but they got away when a witch appeared and allowed them to escape but Soul didn't remember any of this since he was lights out up until some time after Stein had operated on him back at the DWMA.

Soul gripped at his orange shirt right in the middle of his chest where underneath a large scar now stretched diagonally down his torso from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist. He remember his adrenaline pumping as the searing pain shot through his whole body when he sustained the blow and tried to think of something else. It had already been a little over a month since the incident but it seemed like it had only happened a day or two ago to him and he knew Maka felt the same way. She had been annoyingly clingy and overly concerned over every little thing possible since he woke in the hospital but the worse part of being around her now was that she never was able to look at him anymore. Every time they talked or he caught her staring at him he knew she was thinking about that day and was picturing his scare. Maka blamed herself for everything and has not been able to over come her guilt which Soul could not understand. To him bothering to dwell on what happened was ridiculous and a waste of energy that could be better used to gather souls. It's his life and he will always be willing to die if it meant sparing Maka's life at the drop of a hat ,since after all that was his job as a weapon. Maka just couldn't get it through her head that she was never going to stop him from making that same decision again in a heartbeat if he chose to make it so why couldn't she just try and forget this even happened? But Soul knew he and Maka were not going to see eye to eye just yet. It was going to take time for her to come to terms with everything so he would suffer through her smothering a while longer and not take for granted the few hours of solitude he had today.

This was the first day he had gotten a chance to enjoy the tranquility of being on his own in a long time and he wasn't about to waste it thinking about Maka's issues. He and Maka lived together, went to school together, ate their meals together, and hung out with their friends together so there was never much of their time spent apart. And now there was Blair the cat living with them and she decided he was her human play thing so there was never any peace with her around. Somehow though everything worked out well with all of them living together and they had been trying to assimilate back into their typical routine since Soul came home from the hospital. But with Maka being so touchy over every thing lately he didn't have the heart to mention that it didn't seem to be completely healed just yet. While his chest wound had closed Stein had told him that his bloodstream had been invaded by the black blood during the fight against Corona; his condition was stable but Stein was not sure how long that would last. Once a person was infected with black blood it fills the infected soul with madness, great power and any number of other consequences could be ahead. He hadn't bee too worried about anything going wrong until he started to feel slightly off for the past few weeks and some other strange symptoms. For the moment nothing seemed to be bad enough that he had to bring it to anyone's attention but he was unsure how much longer Maka, Blair, or the others would go without noticing.

The boy turned his head as he heard a key turning in the lock, _"Soul we're back. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" _Maka strolled in carrying a handful of books and a bag of groceries with Blair trailing close behind her in her cat form.

"_I feel the same as I did the last time you asked me. Fine. And if I need anything I can get it myself." _

"_I was just checking is all. You were by yourself all day so I didn't know if you were ok or not. Did you eat anything? Blair and I got food." _Maka went and put her books on the kitchen table and started unpacking the groceries as Blair jumped on the couch besides Soul.

"_Yeah," _was all Soul could manage to say as he felt his stomach start to gurgle and tense up. _"I'm going to jump in the shower." _Soul tried to casually make his way to the bathroom as both Maka and Blair watched him till he had closed the door behind him. The young meister stood looking at the bathroom door as Blair came and leapt onto the counter.

Maka called out to Soul , _"Ummm…well what do you want me to make for dinner tonight then? I will make anything you want, it's no big deal." _There was no answer so she called out again, _"Soul? Did you hear me?" _but she went unanswered again as she heard the shower turn on. The girl sighed as she started washing some vegetables in the sink ,feeling slightly rejected.

She couldn't help but notice that she and Soul had been becoming distant lately and because they were somewhat forced to be together all the time it only made the situation more awkward. Their apartment was not very big and while she knew she had been a bit overbearing lately Soul seemed to be trying to find more ways to separate himself from her and taking a shower was something new he had started doing.

"_There he goes again. As many showers as he takes you would think the boy had germ phobia or something."_ Blair looked up at Maka, " _Go on, tell me what your thinking."_

" _I know I have been a bit much to deal with lately but him avoiding me like this is just plain rude. I wish he could just talk to me." _Maka started chopping the vegetables as Blair nodded her head and curled up on the counter.

Soul had heard Maka talking to him through the bathroom door but answering her was the last thing on his mind as he went to the shower and turned it on full blast before vomiting into the toilet. He had been attempting to still eat what he considered to be a regularly sized meal but he was finding this difficult because he found out the hard way that when he ate too much he usually vomited it all up soon after. This only happened every once in a while until about a week ago where Soul now would have to pretend he needed to take a shower so he could be sick without either of the girls knowing. He felt bad about being rude when one of them would ask him something and he would be unable to answer but he didn't want them to know anything about this. The sound of the running water covered up the sound of him gagging so whenever he felt the need to throw up he would just get up, even in the middle of a conversation, and act as if he was taking a shower. It must have seemed like he was at times avoiding Maka and Blair but what other option did he have?

When he finished being sick he sat on the toilet seat to catch his breath as the room started to fill with steam. Usually he would puke, feel better, take a shower for real ,and go back to whatever he was doing but right now he was feeling worse. He sat for a long time until the entire room was like a sauna and he decided to take off his clothes and get in the shower leaving his clothes scattered on the tiled floor. The hot water trickling across his skin relaxed him and he closed his eyes to let it run down his face. He hadn't told anyone how he had been unwell lately, not even Stein or Dr. Medusa the last time he had his wound looked at. He had never been the type of person to talk about his problems and what if he was going to hear something he didn't want to? If he told the Professor how he had been vomiting everyday for a week or how he felt physically drained all the time the Professor would check him out along with Dr. Medusa and he was unsure if the diagnosis would be good. He did his best to convince himself that it probably was just an effect from his body trying to heal itself instead but moments like this made him wonder. It was just better to be quite about it, he was going to get over this soon he just knew it.

Soul quivered as his stomached gurgled more, _"Ugh, not…cool." _he moaned as everything started to spin and got out of focus.

His legs wobbled and he had to brace himself to keep from falling but luckily it passed just as quickly as it had happened and he was able to finish his shower but he was slightly shaken. Soul put a towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom letting the steam from the bathroom spill out after him. He dripped water as he made his way to his bedroom door that was on the other side of the kitchen opposite of Maka's but stopped halfway as Maka turned from the stove to lecture him.

Maka stood brandishing a wooden spoon, _"How many times do I have to tell you to dry off after you take a shower Soul! I am sick of having to mop up puddles every time you get out." _Her eyes traveled down his half naked body and she turned her head away from him," _And is it so hard for you to at least wear a robe or something?" _Maka blushed as she said this.

She and Soul had been living together for quite some time but she still never felt as comfortable about it as he did. He could lay around in his under wear in front of her or walk around practically nude like he was at the moment without a second thought but in her mind it was some what inappropriate. Not to mention Soul's scar was staring her straight in the face and made her have to hold back some tears as she remembered it was her fault he had been hurt so badly.

"_Aww Soul is that nasty little girl yelling at you again? That is why you should forget about her and become mine! I would never yell at you the way she does. Huh Scythe-boy doesn't that sound nice?" _Blair had turned back into her human form and was in her typical barely there attire of a too small tank top and panties.

The tall sexy woman rubbed her chest against Soul's bare back as she started to slide her hands down his torso toward the front of his towel making the boys nose bleed furiously before he made a dash toward his bedroom. He slammed the door behind him before wiping the blood from his nose on the towel as he listened to the women argue in the kitchen. If anything he could never say his life was dull. He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of blue boxers with bones on them before flopping onto his bed. For no reason he suddenly felt drained of energy, that was a worsening problem he had been facing the past few days besides the sudden burst of dizziness. One moment he would feel fine the next he could hardly keep his eyes open and had to rest or felt like he had just gotten off of a merry-go-round. He laid down on his bed staring at the ceiling trying not to think about how strange he had been feeling lately while listening to Maka and Blair bicker about Blair's lack of decency before drifting off to sleep a few moments later.

In the kitchen Maka was busy finishing making dinner after she and Blair finished their squabble but her mind was elsewhere. She decided to make stew which she knew was one of Soul's favorites. She was thinking about how she knew she was smothering him with affection and how it had to be weird for Soul since she had never treated him like this before but it made her feel just a little bit better to do so. She was happy he was putting up with her for now till she could get over herself but from how he had been acting lately his patience must have been wearing thin.

She left the food to simmer and walked over to Soul's door, _"Soul, dinner is going to be done in a minute so it's time to get up." _she knocked a few times on his door but he didn't answer, _"Soul?" _Maka peeked inside and saw him asleep on his bed and went inside to wake him up but stopped next to his bedside.

He was laying on in his back with his mouth slightly ajar, Maka looked from his face down to the scar and felt her heart drop as her mind replayed that terrible moment once again for her. She went back to the door and looked out to see Blair was also napping in the living room and went back to Soul. She gently passed her fingertips across his chest as it slowly rose and fell ,this was the second or third time she found herself doing this while her partner was asleep. It was strange how tired he seemed to be nowadays but she was sure it was just his body trying to recover. The skin beneath her fingers was warm and rough and she couldn't help but smile as Soul started to snore a little but then she noticed his stomach seemed to be protruding.

She crouched down beside the bed, _"Maybe I should cut back on how much food I give him, it looks like he his getting a bit of belly." _she gently poked it and saw Soul's face grimace with discomfort. "_That doesn't seem good I barely touched him." _

She pressed her right hand into his stomach while applying just enough pressure not to wake her partner but to conclude his stomach was giving him a great deal of pain as he groaned in his sleep. This wasn't anything she felt she should fly off the handle about just yet but she was defiantly going to be watching Soul even closer from now on to see if there were any more problems he was not telling her about.


	2. Maka Chop Is that suppose to be threat?

**Basketball Court**

"_Maka? Maka did you hear anything I just said?" _Tsubaki was sitting with Maka on the bench as they watched the others play basketball talking until Maka seemed to become distracted.

"_Sorry Tsubaki. I just…" _Maka looked at the basketball court.

While no one besides Maka took notice she saw that Soul seemed slower than usual. He usually was able to keep up with Black Star better than any one else on the court but today he was just barely trailing after him. And she could tell he was exhausted but was doing his best to keep up with their friends and she couldn't help but think about his weird actions over the past few weeks. He still was tired, he took showers more frequently than what would seem normal, she discover his stomach was bulging and it was becoming more noticeable. This was all worrying her a lot but she decided to keep it to herself but things only seemed to be getting weirder with Soul every day.

"_Tsubaki do you think you and I could go talk in private for a minute?"_

"_In private? Why, is something wrong Maka?"_

"_I'm not quite sure. I just want to tell you something that I cant really tell anyone else just yet." _The girls got up to leave when Black Star yelled over to them.

" _Hey where do you two think your going? Your going to miss out on watching the magnificence that is Black Star! Yahoo!" _he turned and was unsuccessful at making a basket as it bounced off the rim right into Kid's hands.

"_Looks like they aren't going to be missing much." _Patty and Liz leaned on either of Kid's shoulders laughing as the muscular boys temper flared.

"_Shut up! I am the great assassin Black Star and I am far greater than some nobody like you!" _

Tsubaki nudged Maka, _"Come on Maka lets go get some water or something while Kid has Black Star distracted okay."_

The girls made their exit and made their way to a convenience store to buy some water for everyone as Maka voiced her concerns. It felt good to finally tell someone how she was becoming more and more worried about her partner but what she wanted most was for Tsubaki to tell her if she thought it was a good idea to ask Soul if everything was alright with him or if she should go directly to Professor Stein.

Once they had made it to the store Tsubak_i _started grabbing a few bottles of water from a refrigerator, _"Now that you mention it Soul has seemed different somehow ever since you two got back from Italy. But I just thought it was my imagination." _

"_So what do you think I should do?" _Maka handed Tsubaki a basket and helped her load it up with plenty of water, " _I'm not overreacting am I? I should be concerned right?"_

"_Hmmm, well on one hand it could be nothing at all and you could make Soul very upset since your relationship is already a bit…strained I guess is a way to put it. Then there is the possibility he is just being stubborn and is ignoring there is anything wrong and you should tell Professor Stein."_

"_So tell me what to do! Please I'm kind of getting desperate. You don't know how hard it has been to bite my tongue! I mean, he has been so weird and it has only been getting weirder. I mean I can understand that he may be getting a bit chubby since we haven't be out on as many missions lately but stuff like him showering so much doesn't have an explanation! " _Maka sighted and grabbed a package of pocky sticks from a shelf and threw them in the basket.

Tsubaki started walking to the front counter and they waited in line behind a group of kids buying candy and snacks, _" Calm down you're getting yourself all wound up. I'm sorry though Maka I don't know what to say. Soul, he is your weapon after all so I'm sure that means no one knows him the way you do. Your closer to him than anyone else" _

She could see the distress in Maka's eyes and felt bad for her. Their partners were very similar since both boys are headstrong so they shared a lot of the same issues and could relate to one another because of what they had to put up with. She and Maka have a deep friendship, they can even perform soul wavelength but she was not sure what she could say right now that would be helpful. If she and Black Star were in the same situation she would only have the choice to force him to do as she said and there was only a small chance he may listen to her. She cared for her meister just as much as Maka cared for her weapon but the relationships between meister and weapon are each unique and special so she didn't feel quite right giving Maka guidance.

" _I guess the only thing I can say is to go with your gut on this one. I'm sorry I don't have anything better to say to you but I know if I were you I would have to do whatever I felt was right for Black Star. I know that is exactly what he would do for me ." _

That wasn't exactly what Maka wanted to hear but as Tsubaki squeezed her shoulder and gave her a quick smile she felt better. If Tsubaki said she could make the right decision then she wouldn't doubt herself. After paying for their couple bottles of water the girls headed back to the basketball court where everyone was waiting for them. After another game that Maka of course sat out of to read one of her many book as she ate her snack on the side lines everyone made their way home. Maka was walking ahead of Soul back to the apartment until she heard his footsteps stop which caused her to look behind her and saw that Soul was bent over holding his knees and breathing heavily.

"_Soul! What's going on?" _she ran over to meet him.

"_Ugh, I just… need… to take a sho-blechhh!" _

He couldn't hold it in anymore he had been feeling sick five minutes into playing basketball and he had been trying to play it off the whole time. His insides were on fire, his muscles were pushed way beyond their limit and he regretted stuffing his face that afternoon with spicy noodles since they burned more coming up than they did going down as he vomited all over Maka's shoes. He was more than embarrassed as he sat on a milk crate Maka found for him to sit on as he watched her rinse off her shoes with a neighbors garden hose. She walked over and leaned on the wall beside him and they were silent for a while.

"_You feeling any better?" _Soul didn't bother answering_." So, I guess this means that every time your suppose to be taking a shower…your actually …throwing up instead. That's why you said what said earlier isn't it? I guess by now it has become a bit of a habit."_

"_Sometimes I'm taking a shower." _He looked over at her bare feet_," Sorry about your shoes…I'll get you some new ones."_

"_Do you really think I care about that right now? I knew I had a right to be worried about you."_

"_I just over did it today, I'm fine lets just go home." _he started to get up when Maka placed a hand on his shoulder and made him stay put.

"_Your sick and I want you to see Professor Stein and if you don't I'll tell him what is going on myself."_

"_That some sort of threat?" _

Soul brushed her hand from his shoulder and stood facing her. She avoided his gaze at first then out of nowhere came her famous MAKA CHOP! From what seemed like nowhere she pulled out her thick book and smashed it directly into the center of Souls head knocking him to the ground.

"_WHAT THE HELL MAKA! YOU TRYING TO SCRAMBLE MY FREAKIN BRAINS?"_

"_You know what Soul I was making a threat to you. You and I have been having trouble as a team because I have been overprotective of you since…since what happen in Italy but it also is because your such a stubborn idiot! You can be so cold sometimes and you never tell anyone when you have a problem but this time you could really be sick!" _

"_It's because some things you don't need to know about Maka. If I told you some things I think it would only hurt you more so I keep my mouth shut." _Soul wondered what she would think once she found out about the black blood. If she was upset now she would kill him for sure once she found out he kept that secret.

Maka stomped her foot, _"We are suppose to be working together Soul! And how can we do that if your always keeping things from me?" _Soul stayed on the ground nursing his head saying nothing to defend himself.

Maka looked down at her partner with her large olive green eyes and took a deep breath, _"I remember waiting in the hall when Stein was operating on you ,I wasn't sure I was ever going to see you again and it was going to be my fault. Obviously though it's time I got over what happened to you because it is more important for me to make sure you never get hurt like that again. So I am only going to tell you this one time, either we can both go have Stein check you out together as a team or I can give you another chop to the head and drag you there right now." _

She had more determination and fire in her eyes than Soul had seen in a while. More importantly Soul could feel that she was really looking at him for the first time also ; she wasn't picturing his scare she was looking directly at him and it felt good. He outstretched his hand and she clasped it tight and helped him to his feet then gently placed a hand on his chest. It surprised him but he put his hand over hers and held it there for a moment.

"_Ya'know this isn't very cool right now but if it is for my meister I guess I can make an exception."_


	3. Little Demon Is this real?

Soul awoke inside a small, pitch black room lit only by a single lamp. He was sitting in an armchair wearing a pin-striped black suit with a red dress shirt, black tie, and matching black shoes. The outfit was classier than anything he owned and he wondered what happened to his sweatband as he took notice of the cheesy jazz music emanating from a record player. The music kept skipping and it sounded familiar, like he had heard it somewhere before but couldn't remember. Soul sat in the chair observing the mysterious room; the floor is a checkered red and black pattern and there are no walls or ceilings, only thick crimson curtains .

"What a shifty-looking room…"

After he sat there for a bit a guy appeared from the other side of the room. It was a little demon wearing a fancy double-breasted suite; he was doing a weird little dance that was completely out of time with the music. He had the typical horned head and red completion of a demon and his eyes were framed by two black circles. The little demon moved in closer.

"Swing, swing, swing." He stood just in front of the armchair while continuing his dance.

"Dude, this is jazz. This isn't swing music."

"Ah, but jazz is so much more appropriate for night-time."

"Far as I know music isn't picky about when it gets played. You can decide so why not listen to swing?"

"That is right, the decision is mine." A toothy smirk came across the demonic creatures face."Too bad you aren't free to make as many decisions as I am."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Oh, you will find out what I mean soon enough." The creäture chuckled_,_" I wonder what sort of expression you'll make when you find out? I doubt if it can compare to the face you made when you were cut open like a fish being gutted. You must have been afraid then, am I right?"

Soul gripped at the arms of the chair, " You can't forget your fear or you will become reckless. That's something they teach at the academy." The demon walked behind the armchair and chuckled again as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"What kind of fool are you? Do you think you're in heaven where you can't get hurt again? Hate to break it to you but your still on Earth. And soon you're going to have more pain inflicted on you that is so overwhelmingly strong your going to wish you could say

good-bye to the ability to feel at all."

The demon moved in front of Soul and stared at the boy. His eyes were black, perhaps even darker than the room itself and it made the boy feel uneasy. The little demon took Souls hand and pulled him from his seat and dragged him toward a single door Soul had not noticed.

"Now come on ,it's time to get out there."

"Hey wait, hold on a second! Please, I don't want to leave this room! Let me stay here. Come on I will even put up with the lame music!"

The door slowly opened and Soul could feel his heart hammering against his chest as he was pulled through the entrance. He was afraid and wanted to go back the room even more and as the door closed behind him and a new darkness engulfed him. Suddenly a light appeared, he was relived that there must be something beyond this endless darkness and he went toward it. He burst through the exit and took a deep breath, it felt as if it was the first breath he had ever taken before letting out an ear shattering scream. His body felt as if something was tearing its way from inside him and dragging his insides along with it. He looked down and saw that his stomach had expanded tremendously and he could feel something claw at him from the inside. Whatever it was it wanted out and it was going to kill him to gain its freedom and he could do nothing besides scream inside this world of white nothingness.

"Soul! Soul wake up! Soul come on already!"

The boy shot straight and was panting as cold sweat dripped from his body, totally soaking the baggy t-shirt he had worn to bed. Maka was banging on his bedroom door as he snatched the sheets off of his body and began frantically feeling his stomach in a panic. It seemed normal enough and he took relief in knowing that it must have just been a dream.

Maka burst into the room," Soul come on your not even dressed yet?! We are going to be late to school!" She looked at him with a puzzled expression," You okay?"

He was absent-mindedly stroking his stomach still trying to reassure himself that his body was back to normal. " Yeah, I'm good I'll be ready in a minute."

"Sure? I mean your all sweaty and out of breath. We weren't suppose to see Professor Stein till after school but if you wanted to go earlier…"

"No, it's cool. It must have just been hot in here last night. Just let me put some clothes on and we can head out."

* * *

Once they got to school the entire day Soul couldn't stop thinking about his strange dream and what the little demon had said. It felt too real not to have some sort of meaning and it had him on edge. Could it have something to do with the black blood? Speaking of which it was almost time to see Stein. Maka was going to find out that he had kept his diagnosis a secret from her; he tried to imagine her reaction and rubbed his head as he though about getting another Maka chop. It was inevitable though. She was going to be pissed ,wait, she was going to be hurt and that was what made it all so much worse.

The last bell rang and Soul got up from his desk and made his way down the halls toward the infirmary. He felt like an inmate making their last walk down death row toward the electric chair. He felt his mouth go dry and his palms were beginning to sweat the closer he got to the infirmary and his fear increased with every step. Maka's disappointment and anger started to drift further to the back of his mind and was instead replaced with all the worries he had tried to drown out. What if he was dying? Or the black blood was slowly destroying his body from the inside out? What were they going to find out once he let them all know something wasn't right with him?

Soul stood around the corner from the office but didn't have enough nerve left to go toward the door. He was a nervous wreck. This was out of character for him and he couldn't find a way to calm down and he was sure he couldn't hide it by playing it cool once he went in front of Maka. He probably looked pretty bad now on top of it and nothing had even happened yet. It was that stupid dream that started today off badly, that annoying little demon , his voice was echoing in Soul's head and he couldn't get it to go away. The boy felt like he was losing it as he heard Maka's voice around the corner standing in front of the office door.

She whispered to herself, "Come on Soul where are you? I told him to be here right after class and of course he is late. He better not have ditched me just because he changed his mind or something."

The office door creaked open and Soul could hear Professor Stein's voice next, "Ah Maka, on time as to be expected. Soul is not with you?"

"No Professor, he isn't but he said he would come so I am going to trust that he will keep his promise."

"Well come in and we can start without him."

There was the sound of footsteps and then the door shut. There was no way he was going to be able to suffer through this appointment but he could not run away from what was happening either. Where would he go anyway? There was a vent right above his head and with everyone else in the school gone he could hear the voices of the two people inside really clearly and decided instead of going inside he would sit in the hall and listen from there.

The room was well light as the afternoon sun poured in through the two windows. There were two small patient beds with a vase of fresh flowers sitting on a table between them and Maka could smell the sweet scent as she sat on the bed closest to the door as Stein shut the door behind them. After a few more minutes of waiting it was obvious Soul was not coming.

"It seems like Soul isn't going to be joining us today Maka." The Professor sat backwards in a rolling chair, " We can start now if your ready."

"The idiot! I told him this was important but I should have expected as much from him." She clenched her fist, "It might be for the best though."

"Why would that be?"

Maka furrowed her brow, "Soul has never been an open book or anything but ever since what happen in Italy, I feel like he is keeping…actually I KNOW he is keeping secrets from me. So I need you to tell me."

"Maka, I told Soul from the beginning that because of his infection from the black blood things were going to change and tha-" Stein stopped and observed Maka's expression.

"From your puzzled face I take it he has not even gotten as far as to tell you anything about this infection like I advised."

"NO I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! INFECTITON?! WHAT INFECTION?!" The girl eyes were wide with shock and she could hardly contain her growing anger as the Professor explained everything Soul had kept from her.

The Professor pushed his large, round glasses back into their proper place on his nose as he saw the young girl sitting before him try to process the information he had just given her. "Maka, if there is any sort of concern you have about Soul that seems connected to his contact with the black blood I need to know now. The madness could already be taking its effect on Soul."

Maka looked up at the stitched face of the Professor and caught sight of her reflection in his large round frames. She had lost a bit of her color from the shock of the dangerous situation and her eyes were glossy with tears she could feel fighting to escape. How could he keep so much from her. They were a team, she was his meister , and he could be being driven to the point of being consumed by madness and he was so full of himself that he thought he could just ignore it? The girls' head felt heavy and foggy. She felt so many strong emotions at the moment but if she wanted to help Soul she was going to have to tell Stein everything she had observed.

In a small and timid voice like that of a scorned child Maka said, "He has been lying a lot. He would take three sometimes four showers a day and he would be in there for over an hour…but then I found out that's not what he was really doing. He was in there throwing up. And then he says he is just tired , but he is tired all the time. All he does is sleep and eat but it seems like it is never enough. He is still exhausted like he never went to sleep at all. Sometimes that's even true. Blair has told me sometimes he is up all night, softly groaning like…like he is in so much pain and he will do that all night. Soul is slowing down too. I don' think anyone else can notice it but I do. He is pushing so hard even to walk at the same pace he usually does. It may be because I noticed he has put on weight too. Not really that much but still…I notice." , A few tears escaped her eyes and trickled down the side of her cheek," He has never been like this before. Not in the whole time we have been partners and he… he just wont let me help."

Stein slowly cracked the large bolt going through his head in thought. Suddenly the tall, slender man made his way quietly out the office door and quickly turned the corner scaring Soul who let out a loud yelp of surprise." Lets see, How should I begin my experiment?"

The Professor continued cranking his bolt with one hand as the other took hold of Soul dragging him along into the infirmary past Maka. Forcefully placing the boy in another patient bed besides his meister.

Stein made his way into a smaller room in the back of the infirmary, " You two need to discuss some issues while I prepare my experiment." And on that note he went leaving the room to become heavily silent as Maka stared angrily at Soul who just avoided meeting her eyes.

"Are you not even going to look at me Soul?" her words almost came out as a growl.

"Nope." He moved to the furthest side of the bed away from Maka so his back was turned to her and started removing his shoes.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOPE!"

"By nope, I mean no. I don't wanna talk about what is already done. Stein told you what is goin on , I'm here, gonna take some test and we can go home. End of story." Next he snatched off his sweatband and started unzipping his jacket.

"Soul YOU should have been the one to tell me! You have an infection, you have black blood inside of you and with all the consequences you didn't think I should know?! " Maka watched as Soul pulled his shirt over his head and went to start undoing his pants. "W-why are you taking your clothes off?"

He turned to the side, "How else is he going to look at my body if I don't take my clothes off ,huh?" then rolled his eyes with an aggravated sigh.

Maka blushed and her eyes were drawn to her partners stomach. The last time she had seen his stomach it had a definite bulge but now it even had a bit of a curve to it and stuck out like he had a big lunch. Soul caught her eyes and turned his back to her again to cover up the fact he was blushing with embarrassment also. He never had problems with his weight before and until he had heard Maka through the vent he had gone unaware that he had put on that much weight. He though it was only a pound, maybe two but it had to be more like five maybe even pushing six and it had gone straight to his midsection.

"I am sorry Maka. I hope that even though I can't show it the right way, you know I am sorry."

"Soul." Maka did not say anything else. After all what was done was done and neither of them could change Souls decision to keep his infection as secret so she found it easier to stop nagging and be quite.

Professor Stein called Soul into the back room and Soul left Maka sitting on the edge of the bed to wait for him. The boy took a seat on a small examination table and sat still as Stein started looking him over.

"Okay, lie back." Soul laid down on the table and Stein ran his hands along Souls scare before beginning some routine procedures." Are you going to explain to me why I had to tell Maka all of this instead of you as I advised?" Soul's eyes darted away from Steins as he refused to say anything.

The Professor took out a pad of paper he had taken notes on and began glimpsing over them as he spoke, " Maka is a strong young meister, as her weapon I would think you know this better than anyone. But even with as much strength as she possesses she is extremely sensitive ;especial when her abilities are being scorned and it is obvious that is her biggest issue now since that scare on your chest will forever be proof of her inability as a mesister."

"This wasn't her fault." Soul put a hand across his chest ," And she isn't incapable. I was just doing what a weapons made to do, which is to protect their meister. Why are we talking about the past anyway?"

Stein went on as if Soul had not said anything, "She can now admit her weakness yet it has only increased her determination to prove her strength to others more. She fights with everything she has every single time she is up against an enemy. But something more is holding her back. " He slowly cranked the gear in his head and walked closer to the examination table until he was looming over Soul's body and the boy had no choice but to look up into Stein's harsh face, "You. You are keeping Maka from developing into a greater meister."

Soul's eyes widened with curiosity and a slight twinge of fear ran through his body. The slow methodical sound of Steins gear was echoing in the silence between them. Stein's face was void of emotion as he stared directly into the boys eyes. He felt like a frog in a science lab with Stein ready ,and more than willing, to dissect him. Ready to cut him into pieces and find out all of his secrets, all of his fears.

The boy gulped and thought about what was just said. Keeping Maka back? How could he be enabling Maka in any way? Sure he had kept something from her that was important but it's not like it was going to matter once they got out of here.

The tension lessened as the Professor's demeanor became less rigid. " I was trying to use Soul perception on you just now but even being this close to you I still can hardly read you."

Soul was jolted by the sudden change in subject, "Yeah, that's how you knew I was in the hall then, right?"

"Yes, but I should have known you were there earlier than I did."

"Then why didn't you?"

"That is something we are going to have to find out. Soul, Maka mentioned you have had stomach issues so I will check there next." The man looked down at the boys stomach. " Maka was right, you have put on a few pounds since I last saw you,. Hmm…you look bloated too."

"You gonna say I'm fat too huh." Soul whispered before hissing in pain as Stein kneaded his hands over his entire abdomen. "FUCK! THAT HURTS, STOP!" He jolted up and pushed Stein's hands away as he doubled over.

"Hmmm…lay back again I need to check something."

"No! That hurts, why did you have to press so hard!"

"This time I will be more careful." Soul cautiously lied down once again and the Professor ran his hands softly across his stomach skin.

The young boys abdomen felt relatively normal. The skin was warm to the touch, there weren't any abnormal marks or bruises but to have such intense pain must mean that there was a definite internal problem, but what could it be? The professor pushed slightly in the area below Soul's belly button and received another angry outburst from his patient.

"Stay here a minute, I have to go look for something Medusa should have lying around somewhere." The man left and Soul was left alone.

He hadn't noticed how tender his stomach had become. With one hand he tried to push on his stomach but in certain spots, especial where Stein had just touched, the pain was just too much. What else had he not noticed about himself? For all he knew he could have grown a tail at this point! He was sick. It was time to face reality. But how bad could it be?

Stein returned a few minutes later wheeling in a device. It looked like a computer on a rolling stand that had different attachments dangling down on its side. Stein plugged the machine in and it immediately began humming as it warmed up.

"What does that thing do?"

"This is used for visualizing subcutaneous body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs. It is commonly called a sonogram machine."

Soul shuddered as the Professor spread a cool gel on his belly, "Sonogram, huh? That's the machine they use on pregnant women isn't it?"

"Yes, that is what it is best known for." Stein took a round attachment from the side of the sonogram and gingerly rolled it across Soul's stomach.

The man started typing on the keyboard with one hand and continued to slowly move the attachment further down with the other. Time seemed to be going painfully slow and Soul could feel his mouth becoming dry and his palms sweat. What was the machine going to find? Then Stein finally made it down to the most tender spot of the stomach and began rolling the attachment back and forth while squinting his eyes as he looked at the computer screen. He began furiously typing on the key board shaking his head in what seemed to be disbelief before stepping back from the machine, his glasses slide down to the end of his nose and he didn't bother to push them up.

"Hey Professor what's wrong?" The man continued to stand there stunned," Come on, say something Stein your making me nervous."

But he didn't move or say anything. He just stood still starring at the machine as if it were some strange creäture he couldn't convince himself was actually standing right there in front of him. Soul bolted up, he was terrified, he felt minutes away from having a panic attack and then as he reached over and pulled the machine over so he could see he felt his guts churn and hot tears press against his eyes.

"WHAT IS THIS SHIT! YOU AND MAKA THINK THIS IS FUNNY OR SOMETHING CUZ IT'S NOT! IT'S FUCKED UP!"

The image was in black-and-white like an old school TV set and was fuzzy but was just clear enough to make out a small mass right in the middle of the screen. It had a tiny head and was curled into itself as it floated in the nothingness of the rest of the screen.

"Soul this isn't a joke, that's real. I can't wrap my head around it either but …your pregnant." He tried to gain some composer as Soul knocked the machine to the ground with a thundering crash sending bits and pieces across the room.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD THIS ISNT FUNNY STOP SCARING ME! MAKA PUT YOU UP TO THIS, I KNOW SHE DID! " he couldn't hold the tears back anymore and his whole body shook as he sob, " That's not real, please, tell me that's not real."

Stein didn't usually make it a habit to make contact with people but this seemed to be the right time to break that personal rule. He embraced the boy who wailed and cried, dampening the mans shirt but holding him was the most that could be done to try to console him.

* * *

Long time no see, found this and decided to finish the chapter and upload it. Hopefully I will find time soon to upload again soon ;3


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